Poker chip holder



Allg- 9 s. J. STANTON 2,292,721

POKER CHIP HOLDER Original Filed Nov. 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 S. J. STANTON 4 POKER CHIP HOLDER v Aug. 11, 1942.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 12, 1937 J? dizfor'r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a a -w2.z9 2,1z1-

r Q roman onrr nomnn Samuel John -Stanton, Chicago, Ill. Origi al application Novcmb'er 12, lcs'z seriai No. 174,143. Divided and this application January 21, 1940, Serial No. 316,289

5 Claims. (01. 211-49) The invention disclosed by the present specification, together with the accompanying draw-, ings, is presented on a division from my application Ser. No. 174,143. It relates to a novel poker chip container in combination with poker chip cradle-like trays.

' The said housing is box-like in general construction. Each tray is adaptable snugly to hold within it a stack of poker chips edgewisely disposed with the upper edges of said chips sufficiently exposed above the tray edges for ready withdrawal, and the said chip container housing is constructed snugly to embrace a set of said trays incontiguous relation to each other.

. One of the unique elements associated with the trays within the container are means tilting the trays with one side higher to the horizontal, which feature effects an engagement preventing spillage of chips from the container.

One or two of the walls of said containers may be made up in hinged sections, for facilitating the removal of the trays from and their insertion It can be manufactured at a low price attractively in plastic, glass and other available materials.

This invention will become more patent, and, variations of it will suggest themselves, as the fundamentals of it are unfolded in the following detailed description, in connection .with the accompanying drawings, all of which are made a part of this specification, terminating in a set of conventional claims.

In the drawings as figures:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of this invention comprising two containers, shown closed as a unit.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same shown in an open condition, with trays removed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a tray adaptable to accommodate internally a stack of poker chips.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the same form in an open. position with the trays embraced within the containers, each tray shown accommodating within it a stack of poker chips in contiguous relation to each other. 1 1

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a vertical cross section taken on line 66 of Figure 1. It is also a demonstrational cross section of the compactness of the holder.

Figure 7 is a cross section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 5.

In the drawings with reference to details of the figures:

The numeral I0, Fig. 1, points to the holder as a unit in one form. The unit comprises two boxlike members with end walls II and I2 a bottom I3 and side walls which are segmented or hinged. In Fig. 2 these side walls are divided into segments, like I4-ll' hinged together as at 22--or |4l8' hinged together 'as at 2|.-

These box-like members or containers are proportioned to accommodate contiguously a series of poker chip trays like that suggested by Fig. 3-. Ordinarily such a tray accommodates within it a stack of 25 poker chips, and ordinarily the box-like members, or poker chip containers, Fig.

2, are proportioned each to accommodate four of the trays, Fig. 3. Two hundred poker chipsare considered ample for most general poker games.

The two-box-like members in Fig. 2 are joined together by an intermediary member l9.

The lower sections of the side walls i5 and H are provided with lugs l6, and the trays, Fig. 3, are provided correspondingly with grooves 21, which grooves are cut at an angle sufliciently away from the vertical to cause the tray to slide into the box-like member in a rotating manner, so that when the tray is finally within the boxlike member, it assumes a position with one edge, 26, at a lower level than the opposite edge, of

said tray. This position of the tray with one side higher than the other within the box-like member results in an embrace whereby the chips cannot fall out of the box-like member, or poker chip container, when said member is swung from a horizontal position shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 5 to a vertical position shown in Fig. l or Fig. '6.

The intermediary member I9 is a device to make possible the movement of the two box-like members towards each other to constitute the compact unit as shown in Fig. 1or by cross section in Fig. 6. The hinging of the side walls as at 2| is a device to facilitate the removal of the trays, Fig. 3, from the box-like containers, by lowering the upper wall segment ll, or the upper wall segment I 8', which lowering exposes the upper part of the trays for a clutch with ones fingers. See the condition of the trays in Fig. 5 and the condition of the segment walls in Fig. 2. The two box-like containers are held together in the combination as a unit by a locking device like that shown by 23' and 24'.

The unit thus combined constitutes a unique and useful novelty, diifcrent from anything on the market. The trays, fiat bottomed, can be used by players during a game to hold their chips orderly and securely in front of them. The compactness and simplicity of the unit, in addition to its other advantageous functions, makes it still further an object of commercial value.

The invention outlined herein is of course susceptible to various changes and modifications and various uses the details here shown being merely for disclosure and not in limitation. The text herein is limited in description. The accompanying drawings reveal only fundamentals. The right is therefore reserved to make such adaptations, developments and expansion as properly fall within the scope and purpose suggested by these combined text and drawing disclosures, summarized conventionally in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a box-like poker chip container, having wall elements, provided with insertable poker chip trays, having wall elements, each tray accommodating snugly fitting therein a stack of poker chips, partially exposed above the wall elements of said trays each projecting portion of said chips bearing against the outside of a wall element in front thereof, and means tilting said trays, with one side wall higher than the other, to the horizontal, the chips within said trays, gripped contiguously between proximate wall elements, releasable therefrom upon the release from the tilted position of said trays.

2. A combination housing consisting of at least one container, having wall elements, provided with removable tray elements, having wall elements, said tray elements, fitted adjacently to each other, each transversely therein snugly accommodating a stack of chips, partially projecting from the top of said trays each projecting portion of said chips bearing against the outside of a wall element in front thereof, cooperating means between said trays and said container tilting said trays, with one side wall higher than the other, to the horizontal, said stacks of chips, on the exposed edges, engaging contiguous wall elements within said container.

3. A box-like poker chip holder, comprising at least one container having side walls and end walls and a bottom wall, combined with a plurality of removable tray members adjacently fitted within said container, each of said tray members, having edges comprising substantially a rectangular rim, accommodating therein a stack of substantially uniform poker chips in part above and in part below said rim, cooperating means on said side walls and said tray members to constrain said tray members when within said container into a position tilted to the horizontal, one longitudinal rim edge of each of said tray members thus turned towards the top and the other longitudinal rim edge of each of said tray members thus turned towards the bottom of said container, wedging in said stacks of poker chips between the said upper rim edges and walls adjacent to said stacks, said walls in all instances except one being upwardly turned walls of said tray members adjacently fitted for such contiguity, said excepted wall being a container wall, the tray member adjacent thereto fitted adiacently for such contiguity, thereby the said combination of box-like poker chip holder and adjacently fitted tray members tilted to the horizontal permitting movement of said container without spillage of said poker chips accommodated within said tray members, said chips readily removable from said tray members upon the removal of said tray members from the said tilted position within the said container, the tray members within the said container in their tilted position, each having a longitudinal edge substantially above the container bottom, the tipped up ,walls of said trays serving individually to keep the chips transversely accommodated within the trays in a horizontal position from rolling out of said tray members into the container accommodating said tray members in the said combination.

4. A box-like poker chip holder, comprising at least one container having side walls, end walls and a bottom wall, combined with a plurality of tray members adjacently fitted within said contairier, each of said tray members having longitudinal and end walls, transversely therein accommodating a stack of poker chips, cooperating means on said side walls and said tray members to tilt said tray members to the horizontal, one longitudinal wall of each said tilted tray members in an overslung position and one longitudinal wall of each of said tilted tray members in an underslung position, overslung'meaning extending around and over the said accommodated chips, underslung meaning around and under the said accommodated chips, the said tray members in their tilted position embracing said chips substantially under the said overslung walls, a longitudinal wall of each of said tilted tray members externally contacting a stack of chips accommodated in an adjacent tilted tray member and one end wall of said container contacting a stack of chips accommodated in a tilted tray member adjacent thereto, every stack thus having a wall contact, the tilt to the horizontal of said tray members thus keeping the said stacks of chips pincered between the said overslung tray walls and the said wall contacts, the edges of said underslung walls of said trays resting substantially above said container bottom wall the tipped up walls of said trays keeping each of said stacks of chips within said trays from rolling out into the said container when in a horizontal position, said chips removable only upon their release from said pincered position, said tray members having curved sides formed to rest horizontally when placed on a horizontal surface.

5. A box-like poker chip holder, incorporating at least one container comprising side walls and end walls and a bottom wall, embracing a plurality of removable trays, each, having edges comprising substantially a rectangular rim, snugly accommodating, partially therein and extensionally beyond the rim thereof, a stack of substantially uniform poker chips, cooperating means on said side walls and said trays constraining said tray members into a position tilted to the horizontal, said trays adiacently fitted thereby affording points of contact for each chip, or a series of contacts for each stack of chips, on the edges of said chips exposed beyond said tray rims, two of said lines of contact on each of said stacks of chips, substantially opposite each other, being along each tray longitudinal rim edge, the third of said lines of contact, substantially between the other two of said three lines, being along an adjacent wall, said wall in all instances but one being a tray wall, the excepted instance being a container wall, each of-said trays tilted to the horizontal having one of its longitudinal rim edges substantially near the container bottom and the other of its longitudinal rim edges substantially near the container top, the arc between the said intermediary contact point on each of said chips and the upper contact point being less than and within the are between the two extreme contact points on each of said chips, the chord subtending the shorter of said two arcs thus spanning a space shorter than the chord subtending the greater of said two arcs, said arcs here being considered as identical with corresponding chip edges and the complete edges identical with corresponding circumferences,

each greater subtended chip edge thus being too large to pass out through the space or the lesser subtended chip edge, whereby the said combination of box-like poker chip holder and trays tilted to the horizontal permitting movement of said fitted container without spillage of said poker chips accommodated within said trays, said chip projecting portions bearing against the outside of an adjacent wall element releasable from said trays only upon the removal of the trays from the said tilted position within said container, wherein, individually, each tilted tray having .a longitudinal edge substantially above the container bottom serves to keep the chips, transversely, accommodated therein, from rolling out into the container embracing said trays.

' SAMUEL JOHN STANTON. 

